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The great spotted woodpecker

Dendrocopos major

Within the woodpecker family, the great spotted woodpecker pecks most rapidly, giving between six and ten pecks a second. The beak is robust, grows continuously and is supported by very well-developed neck muscles. The feet have two toes pointing forwards and two backwards. The long and rigid tail absorbs the taps. Drumming the trees serves to call the partner, search for food and build the nest. From the outside, this nest has a circular entrance; on the inside, it contains a room laid out with wood-shavings. The great spotted woodpecker feeds on wood-eating insects, ants, seeds and sometimes also on the eggs of small birds. It is a very good climber, moves from tree to tree with short flights and is also very agile on the ground. It flies very fast but not for a long time. This woodpecker is about 23cm long; the dominant colour of its plumage is black but the lower parts, the shoulders and some parts of the head are white. The top of its head is black in adult birds and red in young individuals. The feathers covering the tail are red, and the male also has a red neck. In August, the great spotted woodpecker collects cones that will be used as a food reserve during the winter months.